[Childcare] Summer songs: Full of fun! Summer nursery rhymes & finger-play songs

Tanabata-samaLyrics by Hanayo Gondo & Ryūha Hayashi / Music by Kan’ichi Shimofusa

Tanabata Sama – Tanabata Sama | Sasa leaves rustle, swaying under the eaves [Japanese songs and shoka]

One of the summer events, the Tanabata scene is sung in the song “Tanabata-sama.” The lyrics depict the sight of strips of paper with wishes written on them hanging from bamboo leaves, watched together with the beautiful stars shining in the night sky.

Many children make Tanabata decorations at kindergarten, daycare, or at home.

How about singing this song while decorating, or after you’ve finished, as you look up at the stars? The lyrics include some words you don’t often hear, so if you listen while wondering what those words mean, you’ll enjoy both the song and Tanabata even more.

Tanabata bustleLyrics/Composition: Boku to Kimi.

[July Tanabata hand play] Tanabata Bata-Bata ≪Must read≫ Tips and arrangements for use in childcare are listed in the description below ↓ Lyrics/Music: Boku to Kimi.

How about having fun singing and dancing to an original Tanabata Festival song? Singing the classic Tanabata tunes is great, but it’s nice to add one more to your repertoire.

This one also comes with a dance to match the song, so learn the choreography and sing along.

The lyrics are unique and a bit comical.

The moves that match the lyrics are amusing too, so kids will have a blast learning and singing it.

There’s even a part where you call out the names of Orihime and Hikoboshi like lines in a play, so try saying them out loud.

Sing with lots of energy!

The fish jumps.Lyrics and music by Hirotaka Nakagawa

[Hand Play Song] The Fish Jumps

What would happen if a fish that flops and splashes when taken out of the water jumped really high with lots of energy? This song captures that amusing situation.

What would it become if a fish jumped up over your head? What about its eyes and mouth? Your child’s imagination might come up with unexpected answers.

You can also have fun by adapting the lyrics using the answers your child comes up with.

A tadpole is a frog’s child.

Tadpoles Are Frog Children (Summer nursery rhyme / song)

Many people probably share the childhood experience of being amazed to learn that tadpoles grow into frogs.

The song “Otamajakushi wa Kaeru no Ko” (“Tadpoles Are Baby Frogs”) teaches that truth in a fun way, and with its easy-to-follow melody it’s a recommended summer song where kids can sing along while learning about living creatures.

As an aside, doesn’t the melody sound familiar from several different songs? In fact, the original tune is the American folk song known as “The Battle Hymn of the Republic.” After it was introduced to Japan, a variety of parody versions were created, including this “Otamajakushi wa Kaeru no Ko” and even the Yodobashi Camera commercial jingle.

bug-catching game

Bug-catching play / With Mother (a Japanese kids’ TV show) / Hand play (fingerplay)

Even if you feel like you could never touch bugs now, many people probably enjoyed catching them as a matter of course when they were kids.

This song, “Mushitori Asobi,” is a recommended summer tune that lets children—and adults, too—enjoy bug-catching within the song and recapture a childlike spirit.

It was used on the popular TV program “Okaasan to Issho,” but since it’s an older song, you might try looking for the CD at a rental shop.

Only three bugs appear—dragonflies, butterflies, and a praying mantis—so it’s easy to remember, and as long as you can mimic gestures like searching for bugs and react when you spot and catch them, you can have fun dancing to it!

Seagull Sailornursery rhyme

Seagull Sailor (Summer Children's Song)

Seagull Sailor is a song that likens an all-white seagull to a sailor dressed in a white hat and white clothes.

It’s a Japanese children’s song released in 1937 and was later included in postwar elementary school music textbooks.

Lyricist Toshiko Takeuchi is said to have written it after visiting Yokohama Port and seeing seagulls flying beautifully against the setting sun.

The vocalist was Junko, the daughter of composer Mitsuyo Kawamura, and the song went on to be sung overseas after it was presented in 11 languages at international music exchange events.

The sea evokes summertime, making this a perfect song for feeling the season.

Ice Cream SongLyrics by Yoshimi Sato / Music by Koichi Hattori

[Children’s Song] Ice Cream Song♪

“Ice Cream Song” is a Japanese children’s song with lyrics by Yoshimi Sato and music by Koichi Hattori.

Originally written in 1960 for the radio program ABC Kodomo no Uta (ABC Children’s Songs), it was broadcast on NHK’s Minna no Uta in 1962 and became well known.

True to its title, it has also been used as a commercial jingle for ice cream.